Dusty Britches
Well-known member
Ok, here's the scenerio - you are the proud owner of a respectable herd - bigger than most, but big enough to justify hired hands. These are commercial cattle and they are not halter broke and there is no barn. You've been in the cattle business for some time, but know there is a whole lot more out there. (I'm making this up as I go.)
You notice that the last several calves born have been very weak. You'd go catch them, but gosh dern it, it is hot outside. By the time it is cool enough to do anything, it it dark thirty. But, just as the daylight fades, you notice one calf is lathargic and stands head low, panting like a dog. This calf is about a week old. You know that because your daddy was an engineer and you have his habit of keeping meticulous records.
What should you do?
A. Get on Cattle Today and post in the beginner's board. Hopefully someone won't respond telling you that you are a city slicker and guilt you into not treating the calf. Lord knows that someone else on the other side of the continent had the exact same problem 2 weeks ago and their calf bacame the fastest growing thing on 4 legs when they took the advice here.
B. Catch the calf, take a temp. Call your small animal vet, b/c you don't have a clue who in the area is a large animal vet. Get on Cattle Today and post in the beginner's board. Hopefully, someone won't respond telling you that you are a city slicker and guilt you into not treating the calf. And hopefully everyone else won't tell you that you picked the wrong time to find a large animal vet.
C. Call your large animal vet's answering service and while waiting for him to call you back, catch the calf, take a temp. Move the calf and momma to a small pen for observation. After talking to the vet, get on Cattle Today and post in the beginner's board what happened and what the vet said. Hopefully, someone won't respond telling you that you are a city slicker and talk you into selling calves before they cause problems. And hopefully, everyone else won't tell you that you picked the wrong large animal vet.
D. Call your large animal vet's answering service and while waiting for him to call you back, catch the calf, take a temp. Move the calf and momma to a small pen for observation. After talking to the vet, follow his instructions to the letter. Get on Cattle Today and look to see if anyone else in the state has had that same problem, but don't post, b/c someone will respond telling you that you are a city slicker, you should get out of the cattle business, and there is no such thing as a cattle expert.
E. Call your large animal vet's answering service and while waiting for him to call you back, catch the calf, take a temp. Move the calf and momma to a small pen for observation. After talking to the vet, follow his instructions to the letter. That's it. There's nothing else to do. You don't post on Cattle Today. In fact, you are too tired to even turn on the computer.
You notice that the last several calves born have been very weak. You'd go catch them, but gosh dern it, it is hot outside. By the time it is cool enough to do anything, it it dark thirty. But, just as the daylight fades, you notice one calf is lathargic and stands head low, panting like a dog. This calf is about a week old. You know that because your daddy was an engineer and you have his habit of keeping meticulous records.
What should you do?
A. Get on Cattle Today and post in the beginner's board. Hopefully someone won't respond telling you that you are a city slicker and guilt you into not treating the calf. Lord knows that someone else on the other side of the continent had the exact same problem 2 weeks ago and their calf bacame the fastest growing thing on 4 legs when they took the advice here.
B. Catch the calf, take a temp. Call your small animal vet, b/c you don't have a clue who in the area is a large animal vet. Get on Cattle Today and post in the beginner's board. Hopefully, someone won't respond telling you that you are a city slicker and guilt you into not treating the calf. And hopefully everyone else won't tell you that you picked the wrong time to find a large animal vet.
C. Call your large animal vet's answering service and while waiting for him to call you back, catch the calf, take a temp. Move the calf and momma to a small pen for observation. After talking to the vet, get on Cattle Today and post in the beginner's board what happened and what the vet said. Hopefully, someone won't respond telling you that you are a city slicker and talk you into selling calves before they cause problems. And hopefully, everyone else won't tell you that you picked the wrong large animal vet.
D. Call your large animal vet's answering service and while waiting for him to call you back, catch the calf, take a temp. Move the calf and momma to a small pen for observation. After talking to the vet, follow his instructions to the letter. Get on Cattle Today and look to see if anyone else in the state has had that same problem, but don't post, b/c someone will respond telling you that you are a city slicker, you should get out of the cattle business, and there is no such thing as a cattle expert.
E. Call your large animal vet's answering service and while waiting for him to call you back, catch the calf, take a temp. Move the calf and momma to a small pen for observation. After talking to the vet, follow his instructions to the letter. That's it. There's nothing else to do. You don't post on Cattle Today. In fact, you are too tired to even turn on the computer.
